SO NEW IT HAS NO NAME

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31279, 27 January 1967, Page 2

SO NEW IT HAS NO NAME

It is made by the processes of papermaking,* it resembles papier-mache but the manufacturers say it is not paper. There is no name yet for the non-woven material which might produce a revolution in all trades involving fabrics, including fashion and household materials.

Made by a secret process blending natural and artificial fibres, it is being produced by the Reed Paper Group at mills in Dartford, Kent Lengths of the material are being used in experiments by

a number of manufacturers to find its possibilities. “For a number of years there has been talk of using paper for clothes, table-cloths, curtaining and so on, which would be so cheap that they could be'regarded as throwaways after being used once,” said an official of the Reed Group. “But in practice, noone has yet come up with an acceptable *paper.’ “That is why we are stressing that this material is not paper although it is not woven, as other fabrics are.” COSTS LITTLE

It is cheap to produce; is not intended for long wear; it can be printed with patterns.

Manufacturers working with the material are excited by the possibilities it offers. For

example, if it makes comfortable clothing and can be produced and made up sufficiently cheaply, it could be a boon In hospitals for a variety of uses, including theatre gowns, and could be thrown away after use. Some manufacturers are working on the possibilities of using the material for overalls and other industrial protective clothing. The housewife could use it for curtains, covers and tablecloths which, instead of being laundered or cleaned when dirty, would be thrown away and replaced.

In the fashion world the material could bring nearer the day when changes of fashion—or boredom with everything in one’s wardrobe no longer mean expensive shopping to catch up. Clothes of this material would not be meant to last, or be cleaned —and would be cheap. One young London designer, Veronica Marsh, is already producing raincoats of the material, laminated with PVC. They have a life expectancy of two to three months at a price which makes replacement no problem. CAUTIOUS IN CLAIMS

The Reed Paper Group is cautious in the claims it makes for the material. For

example, it says the material is not washable. But it is being produced in a wide colour range. The process used is similar to that used in paper, rather than fabric manufacture. The raw material is dyed before it goes through the processes which turn it into the nonwoven material.